Annotated Bibliography - Final

Carberry, Chris, and Joe Webster. “Six essential reasons why we need to send humans to Mars.”

Fox News, FOX News Network, 17 Jan. 2017, www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/01/17/six-essential-reasons-why-need-to-send-humans-to-mars.html.

The main point of the article is to list the reasons why we need to send humans to Mars. It explains how the reasons fall into six categories. The authors are Chris Carberry and Joe Webster. Chris is the CEO and co-founder of Explore Mars, Inc. a nonprofit which was created to advance the goal of sending humans to Mars, and Joe is an attorney in private practice with a law firm in Washington, DC.

The article says that one of the reasons to go to Mars is for discovery and scientific knowledge. Another reason is for innovation and inspiration; meaning that a mission to Mars will inspire many future scientists, physicians, engineers and more. Next reason is for prosperity and national morale. It would greatly affect the U.S’s morale, which is crucial for the country’s development, if it were to reach Mars for the first time. It would be a national achievement, that everybody would be proud of. Security and diplomacy, is the fourth reason, since a strong space program can be a very safe and effective diplomatic tool. Then is for the expansion and advancement of humanity, since Mars is the best candidate for the human species’s next destination. Finally, to understand Earth.

The author also says "Mars is our challenge, and our opportunity." I think that although the colonization of Mars is an extremely ambitious and difficult task, it is worth trying. The new opportunities a colony on Mars will bring is huge. It is our future.

deGrasse Tyson, Neil. “Why Go to Mars.” AMNH, American Museum of Natural History,

www.amnh.org/explore/science-bulletins/astro/documentaries/geologists-on-mars/why-go-to-mars/.

This article states why Mars is a destination we should pursue. It explains how Mars is the most viable planet on the solar system to sustain human life, and what have we discovered from it on the last years. The article was written by Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, appointed for the moon mission by president George W. Bush, and also well known around the space exploration community.

The article starts by stating the similarities of Mars and Earth. Mars has a 24 hour day; it is tilted around its axis, meaning that it has seasons; it has polar ice caps. It says that compared to Venus, which’s greenhouse effect make the temperature on its surface around 900 degrees fahrenheit, and Mercury that is way too close to the sun, Mars is the most viable planet for sustaining human life. It says that the most compelling reason is the evidence that there was a presence of standing, running, and deluding water on the surface. It says "Mars is looking … just right, in spite of the challenges." This highlights that even though it would be very challenging establish a colony on Mars, it is still the best candidate for such task. Mercury, is to small, and is way too lose to the sun. And Venus, has a really thick atmosphere that traps the green house gases inside the planet, making the planet extremly hot. Therefore, is looking like the best option so far.

This relates to my last source since it supports the argument that humans should go to Mars. It explains that by reaching Mars, geologists could examine the surface, like rocks for example, and determine the whole story of those rocks: How did they form? Where they in contact with water? This will lead to further understanding on Mars, as well as Earth.

Spacex. “Mars.” SpaceX, 20 Sept. 2016, www.spacex.com/mars.

This website provides details on how will humans go to Mars, as well as when will the first exploration missions on Mars will take place. The article is written by SpaceX, a well known private space company, founded by entrepreneur and engineer, Elon musk. SpaceX has had many achievements, such as the first landing of the first reusable rocket, or the first private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station.

The article begins by stating that SpaceX’s goal is to make humans a multiplanetary species. It says how for them, there is no thought of the future more exciting than being among the stars. The revolutionary technology that they have developed, that will be key to the colonization of Mars, is the reusable spacecraft, the BFR. This new rocket has the most payload capacity as well as the lowest marginal cost, since it is fully reusable. It states that their plans are to send the first rocket to Mars by 2022, and that by 2024, they aim to send another spacecraft with cargo and crew. On the website, it says that "we can build a thriving city and eventually a self-sustaining civilization on Mars." This shows how a Mars colony is starting to sound more real rather than just a dream. Especially with the close dates for the mission to go to Mars, a colony on Mars sounds like a close reality. It shows how SpaceX is confident that sucha tak is possible, with the right technology and research.

This article relates to my previous source because it provides details on how will humans go to Mars. The previous source was only a thought of whether we should go to Mars or not, and the benefits Now, with this article, the thought of going to Mars becomes more real, rather than only a dream. SpaceX gives us details on how, and when we will reach our neighboring planet, Mars.

Jones, Brad. “All the reasons why humans shouldn't colonize Mars, according to experts.”

Futurism, 17 Nov. 2017, futurism.com/humans-shouldnt-colonize-mars -experts/.

This article talks about why humans should not go to Mars, at least not yet. It talks about how it would be way too costly, and about humanity is not prepared yet for such endeavor. The author, Brad Jones, is a writer for the news website Futurism. The articles justifies the argument that humans in mars is not a good idea. He states, at the beginning, that there is really no need to go to Mars. He says the reason fo going is not related with solving any problem, it is because of desire to explore. The major point is that the project would be way too expensive. The amount of resources that would spent, and the risk that would be taken are just too high for a project humanity doesn't need. It says that "while the red planet is certainly 'scientifically interesting,' the enormous costs associated with a permanent station make it unlikely." This supports the article's argument that establishing a colony on Mars is just simply not worth it. Establishing a permanent base on Mars will be incredibly technically challenging, and the amount of resources and time put to this will be enormous. It says that the costs outweigh the benefits. This argument offers a different point of view for my topic. Even though it doesn't relate to my last article, that talked about SpaceX's plan to get to Mars, it is good because it offers a place for a counter argument. It helps to point out that as there are pros, there are also cons in going to Mars. My past source points out plans, details, and benefits, this one points out costs. Greshko, Micahel. “SpaceX Wants to Go to Mars. Here's Why Humans Aren't There Yet.”

National Geographic, National Geographic Society, 27 Sept. 2016,

news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/09/elon-musk-mars-spacex-human-mission-space-sci

ence/. This article is about the early efforts made to make Mars exploration and colonization a reality. It lists what many governments and organizations have done to advance on the whole Mars journey.The author is Michael Greshko, an editor for National Geographic. He has a degree on science writing from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a degree on biology from Vanderbilt University. The article starts by stating that Space X, one of (if not) the organizations with the most significant efforts and advancements on the Mars mission, just released detailed plans on how to get humans to Mars. The release called the attention of many, and was supported and “hyped”. But even Space X has faced some problems, with their recent launch base explotion. It emphasizes that although a Mars mission gets closer and closer to being a reality, many problems are still in the way. It also mentions that there will be many problems on the political side as well. Next it tells how the whole Mars concept started, and the different plans and ideas for actually completing such a task. Finally, it finishes by stating that one important factor of the colonization of Mars is if it will maintain support. The project is one that will last decades and only time will tell if it will continue to get financial and political support. It ends by saying that even though there are many obstacles in the way,"that won't stop would-be astronauts from dreaming big." This helps support the argument that we are going to try, even though it seems really hard. It shows that, where there is a will, there is a way. Establishing a colony on Mars is an incredibly ambitious project, and so was landing on the Moon. The amount of progress that simply trying will bring humanity is huge. This article doesn't really relate to the other articles. However it offers more details about the topic. It also introduces new factors that weren't taken into consideration. I think it offers good supportive information for my paper.